Shloka 6
रथं ससूतं सहयं च कज्चित् कश्रिद्रथी मृत्युवशं निनाय । निनाय चाप्येकगजेन कश्रिद् रथान् बहून् मृत्युवशे तथाश्वान्,किसी रथीने किसी एक रथीको घोड़ों और सारथिसहित मौतके हवाले कर दिया तथा किसी दूसरे वीरने एकमात्र हाथीके द्वारा बहुत-से रथियों और घोड़ोंको मौतका ग्रास बना दिया
rathaṁ sasūtaṁ sahayaṁ ca kaścit kaścid rathī mṛtyuvaśaṁ nināya | nināya cāpy ekagajena kaścid rathān bahūn mṛtyuvaśe tathāśvān |
Sañjaya berkata: Dalam hiruk-pikuk pertempuran itu, seorang pahlawan kereta perang menghantar seorang lagi ke pangkuan maut—bersama keretanya, saisnya, dan para pengiring sekali gus. Dan seorang wira lain, dengan hanya seekor gajah, turut menggiring banyak kereta perang malah kuda-kuda ke dalam genggaman Kematian. Demikianlah perang meluncur tanpa belas, di mana keperkasaan seketika berubah menjadi kebinasaan yang meluas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethical reality of war: individual valor can rapidly become mass destruction, and life on the battlefield is precarious—drawn swiftly under the dominion of death. It implicitly invites reflection on the cost of conflict and the fragility of embodied life.
Sañjaya describes intense fighting where one chariot-warrior kills another along with his entire chariot-team, and elsewhere a warrior, aided by a single elephant, causes the death of many chariot-fighters and horses—emphasizing the scale and speed of slaughter.